Havana man pleads guilty in meth conspiracy

Tuesday

Jan 14, 2014 at 9:43 PM

PEORIA — A central Illinois man pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal methamphetamine charges that could send him to prison for decades.

Jed M. Welker, 34, whose last address was listed in Havana, pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to making meth or distributing meth from 2010 until last year. He remains in custody of the U.S. marshals pending his May 14 sentencing.

He was indicted along with four others as part of an ongoing federal-state crackdown on meth production in the area. The crackdown, known as either Operation Saddle Up or Copperhead, has netted more than 150 federal indictments and dozens of convictions.

One of his co-defendants, Jacob A. Otto, 24, of Browning, pleaded guilty in November and awaits sentencing in March, also by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm.

Both he and Welker admitted to the conspiracy, which was centered in Mason and Fulton counties and involved more than 500 grams of the drug.